Daily Tanya 2nd Adar 1: Chapter 27: The negation of depression from evil lusts & The service of Iskafya

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(LY) 2nd Adar 1

1.      Sadness and depression that results from one having evil lusts and passions in his heart:

  • In the previous chapter, we explained the absolute necessity of serving G-d with joy in order to overcome the evil inclination and the negation of sadness or depression even due to serious sins. In this current chapter the Alter Rebbe will give advice for one who suffers from sadness and depression due to the evil lusts and passions that he entertains in his heart even if he has not been brought to sin.
  • If the depression and sadness that one has is not due to one’s worry of the sins that he has committed but rather because of one’s entertaining of evil thoughts and forbidden lusts which fall into one’s mind, then the following is the advice for him to follow.

3.      Removing one’s mind from evil thoughts of forbidden lusts and passion during mundane activity:

  • Rejoicing in the fact that he pushes the thoughts away and fulfills the verse in Scripture: If the evil lusts fall into his mind not during times of service of G-d but rather during his business dealings and day-to-day activities, then on the contrary, he should rejoice over the fact that he overcomes these lusts and pushes them out of his mind. Through doing so he fulfills the negative command of “thou shall not stray after your heart and after your eyes which you lust after.”
  • A Beinoni naturally suffers from sexually forbidden thoughts: This verse is not talking to the righteous G-d forbid, as it would not refer to them as people who lust after the forbidden. Rather it is talking to the Beinoni and the like who have lustful sexual thoughts fall into their mind, whether it be in a permissible manner [such as with one’s wife] or a forbidden manner [such as with another woman]. When the Beinoni pushes away such thoughts he fulfills the above negative command.
  • One who does not sin is considered like one who has fulfilled the positive command: Now, our sages teach us that one who sits and does not transgress a negative command is given reward as if he did a Mitzvah. Accordingly, the Beinoni is to rejoice in the fact that by him controlling his evil lusts he has fulfilled a negative command and is hence to rejoice to the same extent as he would rejoice when he fulfills a positive command.

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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